Dr. Harold Johnson

Dr. Harold Johnson

Emeritus Professor/Kent State University (retired)

[email protected]

Lessons Learned

• Talking and learning about child maltreatment are the necessary first steps to enhancing child safety and success.
• Children with disabilities are significantly more vulnerable to maltreatment due to their lack of specific knowledge and skills that can be acquired through day-to-day interactions with their parents and teachers.
• Most teachers, while confident in their ability to recognize and report suspected child maltreatment, lack the necessary knowledge, skills and resources needed to reduce their students’ vulnerability to maltreatment.

Resources Developed

• Parent Safety Toolkit
• Recommended Book List from Vook Club, an O.U.R. Children Project
• Safety Check List: IFSP & IEP documents

Suggested Resources

• Hands & Voices: O.U.R. Children Project
• Child Welfare Information Gateway: Child Abuse & Neglect – The Risk & Prevention of Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities
• CDC: Adverse Childhood Experiences

Collaborative Areas of Interest

• Finding, documenting, sharing and collaborating with “Bright Spots.”
• Incorporating child maltreatment knowledge, skills, and resources into UG/G SPED teacher preparation.
• Working with parents of children with disabilities to support their development and use of knowledge, skills and resources to prevent, or at least recognize, report and respond to the maltreatment of their children.